Save the World, the Night, and the Girl Too
by Ally-chan1447
Summary: A supposed one-shot in 5 chapters. 5-6 years after their parting, Fuu is living a successful life in a roadside Tea house she owns with her daughter. So why are the Yakuza bothering her? Who is the little girl Chizuru? Mugen to the rescue! I do not own this picture
1. Chapter 1

Fuu smiled as she walked down the dirt path way that took her away from the two men-one like an older brother, the other her one time lover-she had been traveling with for the past half year. She knew she would never see the either of them again and she accepted that fact. If fate allowed it she might be given the chance to reunite with one of them in the future. Her smile faltered a little. If there was a time she would be reunited with one of them she knew that it would be Jin. The silent rounin was the only one of the two that she would likely meet again. And as much as she loved Jin, he wasn't the one she wanted to see with all of her heart.

No, it was the rude jackass she wanted to see again. But that was almost impossible. During the night while Jin slept she managed to seduce Mugen, not that that had been a difficult task. He had hesitated at first, making her feel like he still saw her as a child or that she wasn't attractive as a woman. But she was adamant in her decision. This was what she wanted. She already knew that there could be consequences and knew that just because he slept with her didn't mean he would stay.

"Fuu," was all he said while his stormy eyes glared down into her own. His tone carried the warning, it asked her if she was sure, asked her if she understood, asked her if she remembered that he was a coarse person and that she could not expect gentleness from him. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a small moment passed she opened her eyes again and saw the man above her, chest bare to the cold autumn night air, forearms pressed firmly into the futon around her head, keeping almost all of his weight off of her. He was waiting for her answer.

At that moment she felt her resolve solidify. She stared into his dark eyes and snaked her arms around his neck. She closed off her heart; she would not let herself become depressed at the fact that all this was was a one night stand. And without looking away from his eyes she replied to all his unspoken warnings and questions.

"Please." Her voice was barely above a whisper but it seemed her plea reached his ears because not a second passed before his lips were on hers again, kissing her more vigorously than he had before.

Fuu blushed as she relived the memory in her mind. It was then that she felt the urge to turn her head and look back at the place where she had just said good bye to him. But she fought it with all her heart. It was time to move on. It was time to turn her experiences and adventures into fond memories that she will be able to smile at throughout her life.

She wasn't going to turn around because she was hoping that he would have decided to follow her. And because she knew he wasn't there.

No, she wasn't going to turn around whatsoever.

Hello, everyone

This was technically supposed to be a one-shot. But when I finished, my editor told me it'd be better to split it up into 5 chapters. So this is already finished. But I'll upload a chapter per week, on Mondays.

BUT! Review anyways, it makes me happy to get reviews!

I own nothing, sadly, EXCEPT CHIZURU! I OWN HER!


	2. Chapter 2

-6 years later-

Mugen growled as he kicked a small pebble away from him. To say he was in a bad mood was an understatement. He had been in a bad mood for the past two years, or more precisely he had been developing a bad mood for the past five years and four months, but it hadn't actually affected his outlook on life until about two years ago when he ran into a certain fish-face.

Fuck, it still irritated the hell out of him whenever he thought if the incident. They didn't fight, the conversation barely lasted thirty minutes before they went off on their separate ways.

"Yo fish-face." Mugen had said when the two crossed paths. Jin didn't say anything but nodded his head and acknowledged the vagrants presence.

Mugen grasped the hilt of his sword, a grin forming on his lips.

"How 'bout we finish that fight hm? That damn Fuu ain't here to stop us."

The aura around Jin changed then, and Mugen felt something like anger coming off of the normally passive man. An awkward silence settled over the two, filling the surrounding clearing. A total of five minutes must have passed with the two just staring at another before Jin spoke.

"Have you seen her?"

Mugen paused. Of course he knew who he was asking about, but he had to pause and wonder what was wrong with the man.

"No. I haven't seen her since we all left," Mugen stated carefully, not quite sure what the fuckin' fish-face was aiming at.

There was another pause.

"Have you tried looking for her?" he asked bluntly.

Yes. "Hell no. Why the fuck would I look for that stupid girl?" he growled back at expressionless man. There was no chance of him telling fish face that he had been looking for her for a while now.

Another silent moment and the corners of Jin's mouth turned down deeper than normal. He obviously disapproved of Mugen's response and seemed to mull over a thought in his head. Mugen watched as Jin's brow furrowed and he could tell that the man was arguing with his morals.

Finally the silent man sighed. It seemed his morals had won. He looked hard at Mugen which caused the man to gulp a little.

"You should find her," was all he said before turning around and proceeding to walk off.

"... the hell? Well where the hell is she then?" Mugen shouted after Jin's retreating form. The silent man kept on walking and didn't turn back. Miffed at Jin's behavior, Mugen turned his back on the man who had already left and proceeded to storm off and cursing under his breath.

Mugen kicked another stone at the memory. That little incident still ruffled his feathers whenever he thought about it. Sighing, Mugen looked up at the sky. It had taken on a deep orange color that faded into a deep midnight blue in the center. It was obvious that night was fast approaching and it was time to find shelter before darkness settled. The pirate continued down the path he had been following when something collided straight into his back, temporarily knocking the air from his lungs. Reacting quickly, he reached for his hilt while whipping his head around to see what had the audacity to attack his back.

However, what he saw caused him to pause. For clinging to his back was not a potential threat but a small child. Though he couldn't see its face he could tell it was a girl who looked no older than five years or so. She wore a faded blue summer yukata and had long, wild hair that was pulled into a pony tail but still managed to be unruly, much like his own. From the vibrations he was feeling through his clothes the child was trembling. She also appeared to be covered in bruises and small scraps. He could also hear a high pitched whimper that lead him to believe the brat was crying.

"Get off," Mugen growled at the child. She shook its head in response causing her to bury her face deeper into his cloths.

He growled again and was about to threaten the child that if she didn't get off he'd give her something to cry about when the child looked up at him. He lost his breath a second time but not due to something colliding into his body. His eyes widened a fraction in shock as he looked down into big, brown, doe eyes that he had seen on only one other person.

"Please help me," the girl whined. When the man didn't respond but kept staring down at her she tugged on his cloths and repeated her request.

Mugen heard her the second time and was about to reply with an intelligent 'Hah?' when the shouting of a group of angry men pierced through the air. The little girl gave an almost silent shriek and darted around to the front of Mugen.

"Please?" her voice desperate.

"Hey you!" a gruff voice called out to Mugen, "have you seen a little girl around here? She unfortunately got lost from our group."

Mugen chained his neck back around to see a trio of unsavory looking characters who looked both slightly muscular and slightly over weight. The one in the middle, who also happened to be the shortest if the three, had an overconfident smirk on his face. All of them were carrying swords.

He grinned at the prospect of a good challenge.

"Sorry fuckers," he called back with a smug look forming on his own face, "I don't know what'cha talkin' 'bout."

The short one frowned at the strangers blatant lie. He looked at his two companions and nodded. They all drew their blades and took on fighting stances.

"Just give us the damn girl and we won't kill you." All earlier displays of wit dispersed as the semi-fat men became annoyed with the stranger.

Mugen just laughed and withdrew his own blade, and things happened quickly after. The one on the short man's left attacked first followed quickly by them man on the right. Using swift clean blows, Mugen felt his sword slice through the first cutting from the right shoulder to his waist and decapatating the second. Finally the leader attacked, charging at Mugen with what he must have thought was supposed to be a mighty battle cry. He was dealt with as quickly as the first two. Mugen cut along his throat severing the man's jugular and vocal cords. The fat leader soon died of rapid blood loss.

Despite the adrenaline rush he got from killing the bastards, he still felt disappointed that the battle had ended so soon. Mugen inspected his blade and frowned, then swung out his sword to clean off the blood before sheathing it. It was then that he remembered the little girl and turned around to see if she was still there.

What he found was the back of a quivering crouched form that had hands covering ears. The image was slightly comical to Mugen for some god forsaken reason. He picked his way around the corpses and soon found himself standing over the vulnerable form. He couldn't help the small smirk that crossed his lips.

"Oi."

The child flinched at the sound of his voice, as if expecting a blow to the back of her head. But she removed her hands from her ears and stared up at him with those giant doe eyes.  
>When she realized that there was no longer a threat she stood and faced him. Her eyes contained a mixture of fear and relief. Tears started to well up and she wrapped her arms around him-more precisely his legs-and started to burrow her face into his thigh.<p>

"Thank you!" she sobbed.

A certain level of annoyance rose in him at the child's actions but he decided to repress them temporarily. After about a minute of the child sniffing into his cloths and repeatedly thanking him, he pushed the girl away. Her face was grubby and scratched with eyes that had reddened and became puffy from her tears.

He glared at the child. "You shouldn't hang onto a man who just killed people brat," he scolded.

She looked slightly taken aback but still had gratitude shining in her eyes.

"Please help me get home," she said expectantly. It wasn't phrased as a question.

The frown on Mugen's face deepened. "Why the hell should I help you home?"

"I was taken from my home by those men. My mommy will be worried if I don't get back soon!" Her voice had become paniced.

"No. Stay here and your dad'll come lookin' fer yah if he's worried."

"I don't have a daddy! It's just me and my mommy and the tea shop!"

This caused Mugen to pause. Not out of pity for the fatherless child, but at the thought of a road side tea house. He had saved the child so he should at least get a reward for his efforts, right? He could defiantly get some free food and maybe even a place to stay for the night. The pirate smiled a little as he also thought about the single mother living alone. If she was good looking he could get lucky as well.

He looked down to the child at his feet. "Where do you live?"

She pointed a small finger to the forest hillside about four miles away.

"Over there." Her tone was optimistic, like she knew her plea had worked.

Mugen looked off to where her finger pointed and barely saw a small trail of smoke. He sighed again. It would be long past dark by the time they would reach the little hut. Shoving his hands into his pockets he began his trek with the little girl in tow.

The walk was silent except for the sound their shoes made on the dirt path. Night fell quickly, awakening crickets and fireflies, and after almost an hour passed they approached a small house with light spilling from the windows. The child bolted then, shouting mommy and he heard the front door to the building slammed open, spilling light across the path. A figure of a woman stepped out and looked around for the child. Once spotted the woman herself ran to her daughter. They met somewhere in the middle and the woman collapsed onto her knees and enveloped the girl in her arms.

The mother bombarded her child with questions. "Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry I let you out of my sight! Are you ok? How did you get hurt? Where were you?"

Mugen felt as if the voice was familiar, like he had been asked similar questions by the same voice years ago. He then remembered the girl's brown eyes and a sense of cold disbelief washed over him. That wasn't possible... was it?

"That man helped me." He heard the child say and the woman looked up at him. Due to the darkness he couldn't see her clearly but he knew that she could see him almost as clear as day. He waited for her to say something but the cold disbelief turned to actual shock when the unknown woman said the one thing he hadn't been expecting.

"Mugen?" Her own voice sounded shocked as he felt and his thoughts solidified. This woman was Fuu. And she was a mother. Fuu stood and rushed up to him, wrapping him in her arms much like she had with the girl.

"I'm so happy to see you," she exclaimed a large smile on her face. "Thank you so much for rescuing Chizuru! You must be hungry, come inside and I'll make you some food."

She released him from her grasp and tugged at his arm and grabbed Chizuru's hand with her other, effectively pulling the two into the house. Once inside she directed Mugen to a place to sit and told him to get comfortable while she prepared something, leaving him alone with the child again.

Fuu scurried about her small kitchen, unable to keep the smile off her face. She had been waiting for so long to run into him again. Sure she had seen Jin throughout the years. He would come to visit her and her daughter once or twice a year. But not once in these six years had she been able to meet up with Mugen. She was both excited and scared.

Oh, she wanted to tell him so bad that the little girl he had saved was his own child and her heart pained at the resolve she made not to tell him. The last thing Fuu wanted to happen was to tell him and find him rejecting both her and the child. And she didn't want him to stay with her out of a sense of duty.

Once she was done making the quick meal she carried it out to the living area where she had left the two loves of her life earlier. Mugen was sprawled across the floor staring at the ceiling and her daughter was sitting and staring at the lazy man. Fuu suppressed a giggle at the sight and wondered if this was how it would be like if they lived together.

"Get up lazy," she said through a smile.

Mugen looked up at her from his position on the ground and saw that she sported a tray of food before deciding that it would be acceptable to sit up.

He stared at Fuu as she placed food in front of him. The meal was a quiet affair that Mugen spent re-memorizing her face and her body. She no longer had a flat chest, but he couldn't say she was huge either, more average than not. She was still skinny but her waist had developed the curvature of an adult woman. She no longer wore the girlish pink yukata and had traded it out for a faint green one instead. Her hair was still in that sloppy ponytail but had grown longer over the years.

If he found her attractive back then she was irresistible now. Her movements had become more graceful and she no lingered shoved food into her mouth like it was her last meal. But Mugen supposed that was mostly because she was not running around all of Japan with two destructive bodyguards who used all of her money. She still had the beautiful innocent brown eyes.  
>Thinking of the eyes brought his attention back to her daughter. Shizuru? Was that what it's name was? ... no it was Chizuru. She bared resemblance to her mother but there was something more wild to her. Which probably came from the father, he thought. Mugen paused his chewing. The father. He hadn't thought of that yet and felt an unpleasant sensation coursing through his chest. He recognized the feeling as anger. The idea of Fuu, <em>HIS <em>Fuu, being with another man had rage boiling in his stomach. Something that was his shouldn't be touched by another human being.

He glared hard at Fuu until she noticed. When she did Fuu felt surprise and wondered what caused Mugen to look so angry. She gulped and looked at her daughter, and when she saw that Chizuru hadn't noticed the man's angry glare she decided that it was time for the child to go to bed.

"Come Chizuru, time for bed."

Her daughter nodded, rose from her seat and started to walk off in the direction of her room. Fuu followed but before she disappeared behind the wall she looked back to Mugen.

"There's sake in the kitchen if you want some." Was all she said before turning her back and walking off.

After setting out her daughters futon and rubbing ointment on the scrapes that looked mildly bad, she sang her daughter to sleep. It was the fastest way to send her into a dreamless sleep and soon she was out like a light. Fuu smiled and kissed her daughters forehead. Like Fuu in her youth, once she was asleep she was dead to the world and nothing could wake her.  
>When she returned to Mugen, she discovered him propped up against the wall with a sake cup in hand. He still looked angry though. Fuu sat near him in silence figuring that if he was truly angry at her he would say something. However the stillness was grating on her nerves.<p>

"Thank you Mugen," Fuu started with hesitation. "Really thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am."

He returned his glare to her but remained silent, after a moment he spoke in a cold, hard tone. "So you're some kinda whore now?"

Fuu felt a red stain of embarrassment and anger wash over her face. "What! What are you saying?"

"That must be it. You let any bastards come in here and fuck ya, don'tcha?" Mugen spat in disgust.

"What gave you that stupid idea!"

Mugen's glare hardened and his face scrunched up in anger. "How do you explain that child?" He shouted back. "You got sloppy an' ended up screwed."

Fuu felt pain rip into her heart. He hated her. Warmth started to pool into her eyes as her fears became a reality. She tried to hold back her sobs but it became too much to bear. She had waited six years for this? A sob racked through her and she looked Mugen in the eye, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"What do you care?" was all she said, then she stood up and left, leaving Mugen angry, confused and slightly taken aback.

When morning came Fuu dressed herself and her child and proceeded to begin the day and prepare for new customers. She expected Mugen to have left already but instead she found him lounging under a tree near the store in front of her tea house. She stared at him as he did her. Then, seemingly bored with the woman he closed his eyes and made himself more comfortable among the grass, looking as if he wasn't about to go anywhere.

Fuu felt a small smile form on her lips. She knew that was his of apologizing and telling her he was going to stay for a while.

The day passed by uneventful until about afternoon when Mugen demanded food and Fuu smacked him saying if he wanted food he would have to work for it.

So he did, doing all the mundane tasks that were hard for Fuu to do. Things like fixing the roof and woodwork of the house, chopping fire wood and other stuff. He also became the unofficial bodyguard of the small tea house and kicked out anyone who became to violent, too obnoxious, or too frisky. A better part of a week went by before any serious trouble did take place.


	3. Chapter 3

It had started out a quiet day. Mugen had been chopping wood in the back when he heard Fuu's shrill screams from the tea house. He nearly cut himself out of surprise and was left slightly dumb struck before realizing that there was trouble and Fuu was in danger. Dropping the axe, the ex-con ran through the house and into the small tea shop in the front, grabbing his sword on the way.

When he arrived on the scene he found Fuu in a corner with her daughter in her arms surrounded by four men. One of the tables had been turned over and a dark stain had formed on the dirt floor where tea had been spilt.

"Get away," Fuu said fiercely, but he could tell she was scared.

One of the men laughed. He was carrying a halberd and was a good foot taller than Fuu. "Why would we do that? We only want'cha ta come talk with us. The boss in particular would like ta speak with ya."

"NO!" Fuu shouted and the angry mother raised her fist and was about to strike the spear-man when her arm was caught by the yakuza's free hand. Mugen reacted fast, drawing his sword and severing the offending arm from the mans body. He screamed in pain clutching at the fresh wound and the other men spun around and faced the pirate.

"Who the fuck are you?" one belligerent fellow shouted at Mugen.

"Get the fuck outta here," Mugen growled at the men. They glanced between one another as if debating with what to do next while the now handicapped one continued to scream in anger.

"GET HIM!" he managed to shout. Fueled by his new found hatred for the look on the vagrant's face the armless man scooped up his dropped weapon and charged at Mugen. With one deft stroke, Mugen sliced the remainder of the man in half, splattering blood on the mans former comrades.

Said comrades stared in horrified silence at the quick death of their leader. They shifted in unease and shared glances at each other, trying to figure out what to do next. One moron took a slight step towards Fuu and Chizuru his arm preparing to extend and grab onto one of the two. Mugen caught the motion and swung his sword out, the tip of the blade stopping a few centimeters short of blinding said man.

"I ain't gonna say it again. Get. The fuck. Outta here."

Stunned silence, then a small tremble filled the air and all at once the remaining men fled except for the one held at sword point. Mugen glared hard into the man's eyes. Said man trembled and a dark stain formed on the ground where he stood.

His face twisted in disgust at the coward in front of him. But he had some questions to ask the man before Mugen could either kill him or let him keep his sorry life. He had formed a suspicion that this incident and the one that brought him here had connections.

"Ok fuck-face, who do you work for?"

"I... I.. I work for the l-local ya-yakuza boss," the coward managed to stammer out.

"Did yer group attack this family before."

The dumb-ass nodded and Mugen took a moment to think. There could be several reasons why the boss of a yakuza group would want to attack Fuu. Anything was possible from her insulting some higher up one day to wanting to mess with the her business or, more likely in his mind, just for the hell of it.

Mugen lowered his sword but stepped forward and grabbed the hem of the mans kimono.

"Tell your boss to fuckin' back off. Or I'll come and mutilate his ass." With that he shoved the man to the ground and the wimp crawled away as fast as he could.

There was a moment of silence in the tea house and relief washed over Fuu and her hands started to tremble. Soon her legs felt weak and she collapsed to the ground.

"Mommy..." Chizuru put her arms around Fuu's neck and buried her face into Fuu. In return the young mother wrapped her own arms around her daughter and held her close. She murmured gentle words and patted Chizuru's unruly hair, trying to calm down the frightened child. Most people would have found this scene touching but Mugen was not in a sentimental mood.

He was angry, angry at Fuu for getting involved in danger, angry at the yakuza men for coming and causing trouble, angry at... at... just angry! There were too many things he was angry at. And though he had many reasons at why he was angry he felt that none of them explained it completely. Mugen felt his grip tighten, his eyes narrowed, and his teeth gritted as the ex-criminal watched the two females.

After a while Fuu looked up at Mugen with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, again," she said, "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

…

"Why?"

She looked confused. "Why what?"

Mugen growled. "Why are you still here? If you're in so much danger, leave this place!" he shouted at her.

Indignation rose inside Fuu. "It's not that easy!"

"The hell it ain't! Just get yer crap together and leave!"

"I can't travel to God knows where with a child!"

"Then leave her somewhere with someone!"

"Oh that's smart. Tell me genius, who the hell should I leave her with?"

"I don't know! Someone in town!"

Fuu's grasp on Chizuru tightened and the child winced at the tight grip. "I'm NOTgoing to leave my child with a stranger!"

"You think that staying here will be better?"

"No, but I don't have a choice!"

"The hell you don't! How the hell can you protect her when you can't protect yourself!"

"I can to protect her!"

"Not from what I remember!"

Chizuru turned into her mother, afraid of the angry voices that filled the air.  
>"Well if you're so damn concerned then why the hell don't you stay, huh? She's your daughter to-"<p>

Dead silence. The shock on his face would have been hilarious if it was any other time. Fuu's heart beat pounded in her ears and her breath was slightly labored from the verbal match they just had. Chizuru was gripping tightly at her and was trembling slightly.

"... Fuck," was all he said then Mugen turned and stormed out of the tea house.

Fuu's face flushed and her eyes stung. _How could I have said that!... Goddamnit..._

"!... shit" she cussed quietly as tears started to spill out of her eyes. She stood, picking up Chizuru and cradling the child to her chest, and walked from the tea house into her home. Trying to keep whatever was left of her strength and dignity within her.

Chizuru stared up at the ceiling above. Her mother had put her here for a nap but the child did not want to rest at all. Instead she laid there and thought about the events that had occurred in her home.

She wasn't stupid, and she had a strong suspicion that there was a chance that the man would not come back. A frown formed on her small face. She definitely didn't want that to happen. He was a bit scary but he felt warm, and though she had not interacted with him very much the little girl had formed a very small attachment to the gruff man.

It was then that she stood up from the futon and padded over to the door. Opening it to a little crack the girl stuck her head out and looked around, checking to see if her mother was there. Chizuru was fundamentally a good girl and tried to stay out of trouble to refrain from stressing out her mother.

When she couldn't see her and didn't hear any sounds that told her that she was near, Chizuru darted out into the yard. She didn't look back in fear that she would be caught. When she got to the road in front of the house doubt and confusion cluttered her mind_. Which way did he go?_ She thought to herself.

When no sign made itself apparent the girl was about to burst into tears when she heard what sounded like wood being hacked at. Her gaze swung to the forest where she saw some birds scattering.

_That way._


	4. Chapter 4

Mugen walked into the forest without much thought. With so many emotions where whirling inside of him, how the fuck was he supposed to react to that? He was still angry at Fuu. How could she not have told him? He felt like an ass, which was rare for him.

She couldn't have told him. He wasn't there.

He swung his still-drawn sword and it dug into the bark of a nearby tree.

"Fuck!" He turned to the tree his sword was embedded in. Swinging his fist he punched the tree with all the force he could muster. The rough bark scrapped his knuckles but his brain didn't register the pain. He continued attacking the tree, releasing his fury on the undeserving tree. His brainless violence switched from slicing it with his blade and abusing it with his limbs.

After almost an hour of the physical onslaught, the thick tree finally fell. Mugen was left leaning on his sword panting with sweat streaming down his face. He flopped backwards to the ground and stared up at the dimming blue sky.

_...So that's what fish-face wanted to say..._

He almost wanted to laugh at how ironic this was. He, who had slept with countless women that, to his knowledge, never ended up pregnant (not that he would've cared one way or the other), now had a child with the one women who he did sorta-kinda care about. And he didn't know about it for five years!

"Goddamn woman..." he muttered to himself. He was pissed as hell. It was just something his brain couldn't wrap around. And deep down inside, he somehow thought he never would.

Chizuru had made the right decision. At the moment she was hiding behind a rock covered in moss and surrounded by tall grass watching the grown man throw what her mother called a temper tantrum.

She had found him when he was about half-way though the tree and sat quietly. She had listened to the sound of anger and for some reason, her five year old mind decided that he was sad. For what she couldn't begin to fathom but she decided that after he had calmed down she would attempt to comfort him. Like her mother would do for her.

The young girl remembered the last time she had thrown a tantrum. She had wanted a toy she had seen in town but her mommy had said no. She had dragged Chizuru kicking and screaming back home and had left her alone in their room.

After she had calmed down to just a few sniffles, Fuu came back and rubbed her back and petted her hair. Chizuru remembered the calming sensation and decided that that was exactly what Mugen needed.

She was relieved when he finally collapsed to the ground. Peaking around the edge of the stone she waited a bit and took in his form. He was out of breath and his grip on his weapon was lax. This was the opportune moment to console.

Before the girl could even move away from the moss covered rock, a hand grasped at her arm. She shrieked in fright and a grimy hand came around to cover her mouth.

"Be quiet, kid!" a rough voice whispered into her ear. Fear rushed through her veins and she struggled harder.

By then Mugen had heard the struggle taking place somewhere behind him. His body tensed and he bolted into an upright position.

The first person he saw was her, the little runt. She was being held in the grasp of some angry man with a look of absolute terror on her small features. Mugen felt his irritation soar again. He had the sudden urge to kill the man who held the small child in his grasp.

"Don't move or I'll kill 'er," the stranger stated. "It's 'cuz o' you the boss'll kill us." It wasn't one of the people who had come before him; he seemed a little bit more intelligent than that lot. Not by much though. If anything he was the person who'd been put in charge of the chore of handling Fuu.

Mugen choose not to say anything and glared at the man.

"Ya see, if we'd jus' got the stupid bitch to leave we wouldn' have a problem. But ya couldn' leave well enough 'lone and jus' had ta screw with us. Now no matter what we do th' boss'll kill us."

The Yakuza punk reached behind him and grabbed a small tanto knife. He brought the blade to rest just an inch away from Chizuru's throat and the girl visibly paled. Mugen could almost smell the fear seeping from her and felt a hateful bile rise in the back of his throat.

"Get your hands off her."

The Yakuza paused for a moment, then laughed a small chuckle. "No way 'n hell. This brat's my ticket outta this mess."

Mugen looked toward the girl again. She was staring straight into his eyes. Warm brown met his grey eyes and begged him to save her. Chizuru had the same look in her eyes Fuu had whenever she ended up kidnapped. The same look that conveyed more emotion than words ever could. They stated that she was depending on him. That he was her sole savior.  
>It was a look he was never quite comfortable with.<p>

And the best way to get those penetrating eyes off him was to get rid of the people who caused them.

Before another word was uttered, Mugen darted forward without hesitation. The Yakuza had not been expecting the sudden attack from the man who had previously been on the ground. The last sensation he felt was a cold searing sensation across his throat and tug of gravity pulling him down.

As soon as Mugen knew his blade had made the cut he grasped Chizuru's arm and pulled her small body against his body. Forcing her face into his shoulder, he buried her against his chest. For some reason, he couldn't quiet stomach the thought of letting her witness murder this close.

Besides, he didn't want to deal with her crying.

He sighed and walked away from the scene with Chizuru tucked against him. She didn't try to look up.

A part of him wanted to run away, put the girl down and walk away and never come to these parts again. He wasn't angry at Fuu anymore. He knew he had no reason to be. If there was any person in the world Mugen had the right to be angry with it was with himself. Not once had he thought of the idea that sleeping with her that one time could have brought such consequences.

But a different, defiantly newer part of him wanted to return. The idea of leaving them alone seemed a bit… strange, cruel even. The trembling of the small girl in his arms further proved the point.

"Are you going to leave?" The question threw him. The ex-prisoner looked down at the tiny girl-child. She wasn't looking at him but a small hand clutched at his gi.

Mugen glanced up to the sky again. The sun was sinking even lower across the sky and it would be night soon. After another silent moment of contemplation, Mugen put the child down, and started walking.


	5. Chapter 5

The sun was setting as Fuu closed up the tea shop. After Mugen had left, Fuu had taken Chizuru into their shared room and laid her down on the futon. The child fell asleep and Fuu eventually managed to stop her own tears. Then she stood and returned to her work; she didn't have time to cry at the moment.

But now she was resting on the porch viewing the setting sun. He had rejected her and their child and chances were that Fuu would never see him again.

_Good riddance! That bastard was more trouble than he was worth..._ Her tears welt up again, a prickling sensation starting in her eyes and warm as wet tails slipped down her cheeks. _No reason to cry! _The young woman thought desperately as she viciously rubbed her tears away with her hands. But once you get started it's hard to stop.

Her shoulders began to tremble as more tears fell and soon her body shook from the force of her sobs. Fuu hunched over, clutched her hands together, and tried to muffle her cries.

"Good lord woman, why the fuck are you cryin'?"

Fuu whipped her head up and stared at the man who was now standing in her yard. Shock coursed through her body and for a moment she couldn't breathe. But then she saw his smirk and she felt a familiar annoyance course through her. She bolted upright and rubbed her face to stop the tears.

"I-I'm not.. I'm not cry-crying!" she spat out, blushing as her voice cracked.

He chuckled. "Sure you ain't."

"So what do you want? I thought..." Fuu started but couldn't continue.

"You thought what?" He asked with a smug look on his rough features.

"... I thought..."

"Hah? I didn't hear that?" He said leaning over toward her, a hand cupped on his ear.

Fuu decided the ground was a very interesting thing to look at as her face burned crimson.

"I thought you left!" she shouted.

"Damn, no need to shout!" the tanned man groused.

Fuu turned her head away and felt like crying again.

"Go away," she muttered.

There was a pause but Fuu didn't turn her head to look at him, silently wondering what Mugen was here for.

"No."

The brown haired woman snapped her head back around. He was looking straight at her and his face was completely serious.

"W-what do you mean no? Go away!" she shouted at him.

Next thing Fuu knew Mugen's face was an inch away from hers. She could feel his warm breath on her lips.

"I don't want to," he stated as he wrapped his arms around her.

She blushed and began to struggle, pushing him away with her arms, trying to gain any distance between the two of them. It was useless because as soon as he felt her move away he pulled her in closer, trapping her in an iron-clad embrace.

"I don't want to," he said again. "I'm staying here."

Fuu stopped her movements then, more tears spilling down her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I mean I get free food and booze here right? Why would I give that up?" A teasing tone had entered his voice. "I suppose the kid's not too bad..." At that he glanced down behind him to the little girl clutching at the hem of his pants.

Fuu smiled, and then she closed her eyes and buried her face into his chest and just let him hold her.

THE END 

Thank you everyone who liked my story! I'm sorry that it took me so long to post it. I would like to give a special thanks to my beta-reader and all those who reviewed on this story. It always warms my heart to read your comments.

My beta says I should do a sequel. Like a bunch of one shots combined together, I said I would if I got enough ideas. So anyone who has an idea send me a message!

Again, thank you for reading!


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